AEC's Blue Triangle symbol [© AEC Ltd] is reproduced by kind permission of The British Commercial Vehicle Museum Trust.
  AEC PHOTOS BY DAVE CHALKER  
Welcome to this selection of AEC photos by guest contributor Dave Chalker.  Regular visitors to the AEC "Fotopic" Gallery may have seen the photos in the monthly collections there, but now visitors may browse the pictures on one page.
Dave Chalker was born in Portsmouth in 1941.  His father was a dockyardman and his mother worked in one of the prolific corset factories in the city.  When he left school Dave joined the Royal Navy.  After leaving the Navy Dave went on to work for Post Office Telephones and eventually BT.
Dave's interest in commercial vehicle transport began early, growing up in Lower Drayton Lane, Cosham, where W. G. Privett & Sons Ltd had their depot.  Right opposite the family house was Privett's open yard where clinker from Portsmouth Power Station was tipped.  This in turn was loaded by Muir Hill or Chaseside mechanical shovels into Hall & Co tippers, including AEC Monarchs, though mainly Austin K and Bedford O types.  At the bottom of the road was the Southern Electricity Board depot, and the Limmer & Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co. Ltd. Works.  Located in nearby Station Road were the Portsea Island Mutual Co-operative Society Bakery, Dairy and Transport depot.
Dave's late uncle Stanley Chalker started as an office boy at Portsmouth Commercial Motors, which became J. H. Sparshatt & Sons Ltd of Portsmouth, the commercial vehicle bodybuilders.  Dave spent many happy Saturday mornings at the works in his schooldays.  Stan worked up to the position of company secretary, but died in 1971 soon after the take over by Wadham Stringer.
From 1974 until 1989 Dave was Rally Secretary to the well known Southsea Spectacular Rally run by the Vintage Transport Association.  From 1989 he concentrated his efforts as Operations Controller for the City of Portsmouth Preserved Transport Depot until closure in early 2003.  He was working on a local history project for Portsmouth City Records Office on the subject of operators of commercial vehicles in the Portsmouth area prior to his untimely death in December, 2004.
C L I C K   A   T H U M B N A I L   F O R   A   L A R G E R   I M A G E
 · AECs working in the Portmouth area · 
Mercury KTP333 (61k)
Mercury Mk II
KTP 333
New 1955 Mercury in the Cosham (Portsmouth) yard of W.G. Privett & Sons.
Limmer & Trinidad MLA594 (122k)
Mammoth Major 6 Mk III
MLA 594
Limmer & Trinidad Mammoth Major Mk III, Southampton Common 1972.
Hall & Co MM8 OJB121L (75k)
Mammoth Major TG8R
OJB 121L
Hall & Co Mammoth Major at the Hampshire heat of LDY in 1979.
Mammoth Major Mk V (80k)
Mammoth Major 6 Mk V
Purchased by Portsmouth City Transport in 1986 but never used. Later sold to dealer Carl Ireland, Hull.

Mammoth Major 229XKX (93k)
Mammoth Major 8 Mk V
229 XKX
J.H.Clapcott's (Parkstone) bitumen tanker arrives at the M27 construction site north of Portsmouth.
Marshal tipper (93k)
Marshal TGM6R
YLB 153G
1969-reg tipper seen on the M27 construction site north of Portsmouth in the 1970s.
Marshal tipper (72k)
Marshal TGM6R
VBK 152K
Treloar's (Fareham) tipper north of Portsmouth on M27 construction work.
Marshal tipper (91k)
Marshal TGM6R
UBK 884K
1972 Marshal of Francis Concrete (Chichester) on the A27 north of Portsmouth.

Mandator GUF92D (52k)
Mandator TG4R
GUD 92D
McAlpine's 1966 Mandator in Portsmouth hauling a Scammell Himalayan dumptruck.
MMD Mandator (76k)
Mandator TG4R
OBK 642H
Mainland Market Deliveries' Mandator at Portmouth's Camber Docks in the 1970s.
MMD Mandator (87k)
Mandator TG4R
OTP 110H
M.M.D. Mandator at the Docks.
MMD Mandator (70k)
Mandator TG4R
RRV 823J
M.M.D. Mandator at the Docks.

Matador (72k)
Matador 0853
This Matador was owned by ASP Garages (Portsmouth) and is assisting a Bedford TK in the City.
Reliance 444BXD (67k)
Reliance 2MU3RA/Duple
444 BXD
Ultra Television staff bus ex Samuelsons, at the Ultra factory in Gosport in 1975.
Portsmouth Swift (108k)
Swift/Marshall
NTP 186H
1969 Portsmouth Swift with B42D bodywork seen in 1973.
Mammoth Major (130k)
Mammoth Major TG6R
PWV 433H
Ken Brown Boats MM6. Not new to them, Swindon reg, possibly ex Wilts C.C.

 · AECs at the Southsea Spectacular · 
RT2911 (79k)
RT2911   MLL 658
Normand Electrical Co staff bus seen at Southsea Castle in 1974. Normand also had two RFs.
Regent V RWU643 (66k)
Regent V D3RV099/Roe
RWU 643
Ultra Television staff bus, ex Felix Motors Doncaster, at the 1974 Southsea Rally.
Smiths Reliance (83k)
Reliance/Plaxton
TRO 704E
1967 Smiths of Reading Reliance at Southsea in the 1970s.
Mammoth Major wrecker (74k)
Mammoth Major TG6R
038 BK (trade plate)
Wadham Stringer recovery at the Southsea Spectacular in 1976.

 · Away from Portsmouth · 
Mandator Mk V (99k)
Mandator Mk V
GYK 795C
1965 Shell petrol tanker seen in the Lake District.
Mammoth Major Mk V (68k)
Mammoth Major 8 Mk V
723 BD (trade plate)
M&N Recovery's rally tender at Brighton in 1979.
Mammoth Major Mk V (130k)
Mammoth Major 8 Mk V
558 MYA
Edwards' 1961 fairground transporter at Salisbury in the early 1970s.
Mandator towing lorry (87k)
Mandator TG4R
MAE 142F
Western National recovery at Belgrave Road, Exeter in 1981.

Acknowledgement
Many thanks to Dave Chalker for permission to use his photos and photos from his collection.


vangastow@aecsouthall.co.uk